Lost & Found
by PG Tips and Ginger Nuts
Summary: After Richard's sudden death Roy must adjust to Nina becoming a bigger part of his life with Carla on hand to support him. Carla wants to know more about Nina and upon discovering things along the way soon realises that there is a lot more to the teen than meets the eye. But is she the only one hiding something? What does Carla know about this girl that she isn't telling Roy?


Carla stared longingly at the mug between her palms, desperately wishing its contents were that of red wine rather than the hot beverages she had been reduced to consuming. A welcome adjustment for the sake of her mental health and wellbeing but a change that she often found difficult to swallow, quite literally.

It would have been easy for her to reach for the bottle, especially given everything that had been going on, but she was determined to maintain the routine that she had become used to and knew that straying from it could possibly have dire consequences. Any sort of setback in her recovery posed the risk of a full relapse and more unnecessary strain and pressure on Peter; he had been through more than enough already.

It was quiet within the small confines of Roy's flat; much quieter than usual which was unsettling given its newfound resident. Nina, Roy's niece, had only sought accommodation there recently and opted for the sofa temporarily until sleeping arrangements had been discussed in greater depth, but after the news of her dad passing Carla decided to offer her own bed to the girl; a minor gesture that at least ensured a decent rest.

She arched her perfectly shaped brow upon hearing the door of the bedroom crack open, pulling her out of her thoughts and back to reality. Rising to her feet she lingered nearby, wanting to appear sympathetic and supportive to the young girl in her hour of need. She knew herself what it was like to lose a parent; granted she was never very close to her mother, but she had been close to Aidan and she knew what it was like to lose a part of herself through grieving for him.

Nina stepped carefully out of the bedroom, very conscious of her surroundings upon realising that she had fallen asleep for much longer than anticipated.

"What time is it?"

"Er... just after five." A quick glance at the watch on her wrist confirmed the time and Carla couldn't help but notice how the teenager fiddled restlessly with the tissue in her hand; an obvious sign that she felt somewhat out of place.

"Wow... I really slept."

"Nina, I'm really sorry about your dad." Carla spoke with sincerity, having rehearsed the line in her head countless times. She knew words had little comfort after the death of a loved one but there was little else she could say or do to make things any better.

"That makes two of us." Nina wandered over to the sofa situated within the living room, sitting down and attempting to make herself more comfortable. "Sorry... I kind of hijacked your room."

"Yeah, I'll let you off."

"Seriously, you've got the nicest pillow."

"I might want that back." Carla feigned a smile and took a step forward, feeling rather out of place during the exchange. She barely knew Nina but she was Roy's family and that alone made her worth the effort of at least trying to strike up some sort of conversation.

"Is Roy around?"

"Oh no, he's just.. he's nipped out."

"Where to?" Nina's curiosity piqued. "His brother's just died, not really the time to go off gallivanting, is it?"

"Maybe you should speak to himself yourself, you know, when he gets back."

"Maybe you could just tell me now?"

Carla knew there was no point lying to her, not when she was obviously so intuitive. "Okay, he's gone to speak to somebody from the company who provided your dad with care."

"Speak about what?"

"About what happened to your dad today."

"He died, it's no one's fault."

"I know but I don't think Roy quite sees it like that, as far as he's concerned they're still negligent."

"I'm not with you... negligent how?"

"Well, for not showing up today. Roy only left because your dad said the carer was... on the way." Carla knew from the look of shock and hurt that swept across Nina's face that she had well and truly put her foot in it.

"Hang on... are you saying my dad was alone?"

Carla let out a deep sigh as she realised there was no going back now. "No, I... I don't know for sure."

"Was my dad alone when he died?" Nina's tone was much firmer than before, desperately needing to hear Carla say the words.

"Yes." What was the point in lying to her? She was old enough now to be kept in the loop. "Nina, wait!"

Nina had already leapt from the sofa, making a beeline for the door of the flat and gathering whatever belongings she could find along the way. She reached for the door handle before pausing, turning to face Carla.

"None of this would have happened if he hadn't stuck his nose in. He wouldn't have got my dad to push me into going back to college.. I could have been there for him, I _should_ have been there." The fury was evident in her tone as she snapped at Carla before a pained look swept across her face. "I never got to say goodbye."

Carla opened her mouth to speak but Nina was already gone. She shook her head, silently cursing herself for having said anything in the first place. How would Roy react when he found out she had done a runner? And where was Nina going to go? Carla wasn't responsible for her but she had promised Roy to look out for her while he was gone. She had no one else and Carla couldn't allow her to just wander the streets. Pulling her jacket from the hook next to the door she wrapped it around herself before reaching for her phone within the pocket and dialling the first number that came to mind.

"Peter? Are you busy? I need your help, I am way out of my depth here."

* * *

Peter closed the door of number one after ending the call with Carla and took off across the street. She had planned to search the Red Rec and it's surrounding areas while he began closer to home. He had spent many nights out looking for Simon after an argument had got out of hand, often finding him hiding in the ginnel behind the houses in his typical teenage sulk.

He knew that Nina was relatively unfamiliar with the street and its surroundings and so the closest thing to the cafe that offered the slightest bit of solace was the community gardens and sure enough when he arrived there he spotted the girl sat alone on the bench. Sighing to himself he pulled out his phone, sending a quick text to Carla that he had found her and he would bring her back to the flat. He didn't know how but he was confident that eventually he could talk her round.

"Nina, right?" He approached her slowly, nodding towards the empty space next to her on the bench as if to ask for permission to sit down. When she didn't respond he took a pew.

"Who the hell are you? What do you want?"

Peter was no stranger to a moody teenager and refused to be put off by the sharpness in her tone. "I'm Peter, Carla's partner. She's worried about you, you know."

Nina scoffed and shook her head, avoiding eye contact with the man. "She wasn't too worried when she was keeping the truth from me."

"She was only looking out for you, her and Roy. I know it must be tough right now but-"

"You don't know anything." Nina cut him off, shifting slightly so that she was facing further away from him.

Peter sighed and leaned forward on the bench, resting his elbows on his lap.

"I've got a son around your age.. Simon. He lost his mum when he was a kid. I know it's not really the same thing but that grief, never really goes away."

He looked sideways at Nina, appreciating the fact that she hadn't interjected yet and was paying attention; either that or ignoring him completely. He decided to continue on anyway.

"His mum was the only constant he had growing up and when she died he had nowhere else to go. She asked me to look after him and I couldn't let her down, not when he was me own flesh and blood. Looking back I realise how hard it must have been for him, to be thrown into a family surrounded by folk he didn't know. It took me longer than I care to admit to be a proper dad to him but eventually he settled in and things became a little easier."

Nina exhaled and turned ever so slightly, enough that Peter felt he had somehow got through to her.

"How is that anything to do with me? No offence but it's not the same thing."

Peter shook his head and offered her a warm, sympathetic smile. "I know it's not. All I'm saying is Simon got through it because he had a family to support him and be there for him. You've been given that with Roy. You mightn't see it now but you'll never find a better man on this street than Roy Cropper and to have him as part of your family? Well, you're already much better off than most."

"My dad's dead, how does that make me better off?"

"Because you're not alone anymore. You don't have to go through any of this alone." He sat upright, glancing at the watch on his wrist and wondering if Carla would be back at the flat. "Come on, why don't we head back, ey?"

Nina listened carefully to what Peter was saying. Some of his words resonated with her to a certain extent but the only thing she could focus on was the fact that her dad had been alone when he drew his last breath. She should have been there and she would have been if Roy hadn't interfered.

"I just want to go home."

* * *

"I'm sorry, Roy, I really am. It just slipped out, I didn't mean for-" Carla tried to plead with Roy but he cut her grovelling short.

"There's really no need to apologise, Carla. I should have told her myself but I feared her grief was too raw to be able to process such a thing."

Roy paced restlessly around the dining table, knowing that he should have stayed with Nina rather than allowing his stubbornness and sense of duty to cloud his judgement. The guilt of leaving Richard alone was all consuming and he could only imagine the anger and devastation Nina was feeling.

"Where is she now?"

"Peter found her, he said he'd bring her back here."

As Carla finished speaking there was a knock at the door and it slowly opened with Peter entering the flat, Nina close behind. Carla sighed a breath of relief and made her way over to Peter, kissing his cheek as a way of thanking him for having returned her safely. He didn't hang about, wanting to give them space to talk but let Carla know that he was only a phone call away if any of them needed anything.

Carla watched as he left the flat, turning her attention to the young girl. "Nina, I'm so sorry for what I said earlier. I shouldn't have just blurted it out."

Nina kept her head down and focused on the multiple bands and bracelets around her wrist, fidgeting with them restlessly. "It doesn't matter."

"Of course it matters." She frowned at Nina's disregard to what had happened before turning to Roy, hoping that he could step in and offer some form of comfort. He always knew what to say, he could fix this.

"Carla's right. I should have told you exactly what had happened and I can only offer my deepest apologies and condolences. He was... a very respectable and kindhearted man. I only wish I had known about him sooner, about you both."

"Why don't you stay the night? I'll go to Peter's and you can take my bed. You can even keep the pillow." Carla smiled and offered to remove herself from the situation and give them both some space. "Maybe some more rest will do you both the world of good."

Nina briefly turned her gaze to the man that reminded her so much of her father before looking away, not wanting to let her guard down by revealing the tears that welled in her eyes at the thought of her dad not being around anymore.

"I'm gonna go back to the flat. I just need some time alone, to think." Nina shrugged and lifted her bag that sat next to the various footwear lined up near the door. "I'll find my own way."

She slid the strap of her bag over her shoulder and opened the door of the flat to leave. Just like that she was gone along with any sort of progress Roy and Carla had made towards helping her settle into the flat.

* * *

"So due to their resources being stretched so thin and the lack of home help carers there's really nothing they can do. It's a failure of the system, not that of Chantelle."

Carla listened intently as Roy explained what had happened when he paid a visit to the company that organised Richard's home visits. "So that's it then? They're not going to do anything about it?"

"What can they do? Richard's dead, it's not going to change that." Roy sighed and shook his head. "I should have done more, I should never have left him. What must Nina think of me?"

"It's not your fault, Roy. It's not anyone's fault. He was sick, we all knew this was coming."

Carla hated seeing Roy look so defeated and blaming himself for something beyond his control. She knew she couldn't try to convince him otherwise as it would only make her a hypocrite; she often allowed herself to succumb to the same feelings of guilt ridden responsibility.

"I'm gonna sort out this bed of mine and then I'll make us both a nice cup of tea, how about that?"

She gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze in attempt to reassure him before disappearing off to her bedroom where she began tidying anything that was out of place. Upon pulling back the duvet she spotted something poking from underneath the pillow. She sat down on the bed and took hold of the folded piece of paper, opening it up and raising her eyebrows at what was on the page. She couldn't help but stare at it for a moment before standing and making her way back to the other room.

"Roy? Is this yours?"

She handed him the paper and he studied it. It was a picture of Carla, one that had been taken several years ago but he recognised it from having suggested it be used for Carla's missing person posters a few months earlier.

"It's the picture Johnny put forward for... for your posters." He noticed the slightly embarrassed look on Carla's face as she rubbed the back of her neck. "I thought we had got them all, I was sure there were none left over. We were afraid it would upset you to find them."

She noted the bewilderment in his expression and took hold of the page, scanning it with the same look of confusion. "I'm not upset, don't worry." She smiled at him and shook her head, folding the page and stuffing it into the back pocket of her jeans.

"Where did you find it?"

"It was in my bed. Funny that, huh? I'm surprised I didn't come across it sooner."

"How very curious."

Carla pondered for a moment before dismissing any thoughts about the picture's origin and returning to the bedroom to continue with the task she had been doing. The picture had taken her by surprise as she hadn't expected to be faced with a reminder of everything that had happened earlier that year but she was sure that it was a mere coincidence.

Or so she thought.


End file.
